Customer Reviews

Let the Good Times Roll: Decca 1938-54

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You can keep your Squirrel Nuts zipped up tight -- Louis Jordan was the king of swing. This is where big band jazz began to mutate into rock 'n' roll. There are plenty of single and double discs out there to give you a taste of Jordan, nicknamed "Kind of the Jukeboxes," but this 9-disc blowout from the blessed maniacs at Germany's Bear Family serves up his complete output on Decca/Capitol, his greatest decade-plus. Only box set I ever bought where I finished disc 6 and hurried to cue up disc 7. Steep price, but worth every penny.

It's a low down dirty shame that Louis Jordan doesn't get more credit for the resurgence of swing/jump blues that we are currently experiencing. Everything there is about finger-snapping, toe-tapping rhythms and make-you-laugh-make-you-cry lyrics that permeates pop music today owes something to Jordan. This massive collection takes you through the major portion of Jordan's career and includes all his hits, and while there's some repetition of themes, melodies and even song titles, that only adds to the charm and character of Jordan's musical personality. In this world, men are lovable scoundrels, women want that elusive commitment, and best friends are not to be trusted with your girl. Find yourself a free 10 or hours or so and give these discs a spin. If you don't walk away with a cool, swinging upbeat outlook, jack you're dead!

What a set! Simply awesome! Heaven for Louis Jordan fans. This set contains a great deal of material that hasn't previously been on CD. Included are tracks from Louis short lived Big Band from the 1950's. As far as I know, none of Louis Big Band recordings are available elsewhere on CD. Louis Jordan is an American music treasure. Rock and Roll and Rap both have their roots in Louis Jordan. Comes with the usual fantastic oversized booklet, which tells Louis' story in detail. Included is a reprint of a comic strip which tells his story. There are also some reprinted advertisements, including Louis' endorsement for U-Haul! The discography is very thourough, too. It is a bit expensive, but it is an import from Germany. The Bear Family record label always takes great care with its reissues, transfering the music from the best available master recordings and restoring where needed. The music is tremendous fun and you won't regret your investment.

I was introduced to Louis Jordan through Joe Jackson's "Jumpin' Jive" album when that was released around 1981. I loved it so much I sought out the original versions of the tunes Jackson covered and, in doing so, purchased a Louis Jordan's hits compilation. Every song on there was a gem! I had to find more but wound up with very little because all that was available were a few different hits packages.
Then, while trudging through the collections at the local music store a decade later I came across this wonderful box set put out by Bear Family of Germany. As with the Glenn Miller box set on RCA - house payment be damned! - I purchased it on the spot and never looked back. This set was/is everything I could hope for and more.
First off, the packaging is everything you'd expect from a high quality company such as Bear Family, with a lavish booklet and jewel-boxed cd's.
Next, of course, came the music. The sound quality is out of this world, considering how long ago this music was recorded. And the songs, well...one would think that it could get a bit tiresome listening to a set as large as this by one artist. Nope - not Mr. Jordan. With such great songs through out - Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens, Barnacle Bill The Sailor, What's the Use Of Getting Sober When You're Gonna Get Drunk Again, Caldonia...the list goes on and on - there's no way anyone would tire of this set.
The roots of rock and roll are here as well - Saturday Night Fish Fry rocks with the best of 'em.
I once read somewhere that most music compilations are like what foot (or crib) notes are to a novel. If that's the case then this Louis Jordan set on the Bear Family label is like an encyclopedia.
I couldn't agree more.

This has to be one of THE GREATEST box sets ever issued. LOUIS JORDAN * LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL contains 215 songs on nine CDs, as well as a beautiful 48-page LP-sized booklet filled with amazing photos, poster, magazine cover and advertising repros, a comic strip, news clippings, hand-written-on-legal-pad session notes, and an exhaustive discography, not to mention a fascinating bio and song commentary.

But the music-- oh, the glorious Tympani Five (6, 7, etc.)... They and Jordan created some of the most remarkable sounds you've ever heard. Here were the true beginnings of rock & roll-- 15 years before Elvis or Bill Haley, Louis Jordan and group were rockin' hard. Superb sound quality throughout on this German label compilation. Included is every DECCA Jordan side as well as some unissued material. The brief disc #9 features duets with Ella Fitzgerald.

LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL is a must-have for all fans of great swing, jazz, R&B, calypso and yes, early rock & roll. Highest possible recommendation.

TOTAL RUNNING TIMES --

DISC ONE -- 75:35

DISC TWO -- 74:33

DISC THREE -- 68:21

DISC FOUR -- 76:03

DISC FIVE -- 75:53

DISC SIX -- 76:35

DISC SEVEN -- 77:11

DISC EIGHT -- 76:57

DISC NINE -- 20:00

Somewhere along the way, Louis Jordan went from R&B King to nonentity. When the the Neoswing revival crested, Louis got some props, but not enough. This High Quality German Import, (sadly, it could never come from the U.S.) is a well-deserved monument to
a musician who should be as famous as Fats Domino, Nat King Cole,
Chuck Berry, Ray Charles, and countless other Hall of Famers. This box turns out to be a bargain after all.

Buy it! If you are here looking at this collection do not stress over the price tag. It is worth every penny and much more. I bought this collection months ago and I have been listening to it on random play ever since. I haven't listened to anything else except a little count bassie. Not only is the music great, it is fun. I only wish I bought it sooner.

I originally "discovered" Louis Jordan because of the Blues Brothers movie. Elwood plays Let the Good Times Roll in his apartment when Jake falls asleep on his bed.

I grew up listening to the blues, soul, and Motown, but I wasn't familiar with Louis Jordan until several months ago, when I purchased this Bear Family box set as a retirement gift for a family member. Jordan was a gifted saxophonist and one of the leading architects of R&B; his prototypes paved the way for Chuck Berry and mainstream rock and roll. Jordan scored 57 R&B chart hits with Decca between 1942-51, and his influence was enormous on blues artists such as Ray Charles and B.B. King, who recorded an album of Jordan covers, including such standards as Let The Good Times Roll, Choo Choo Ch'Boogie, Buzz Me and Saturday Night Fish Fry on Let the Good Times Roll: The Music of Louis Jordan.

Jordan's street-smart sense of humor permeated songs such as Open the Door, Richard, What's the Use of Getting Sober and Beware, Brother, Beware and double-entendre gems such as That Chick's Too Young To Fry. There are also a few tunes devoted to large women on You're My Meat and I Like 'Em Fat Like That (tempered, on the other hand, by You're Much Too Fat (and That's That)).

Jordan's earliest recordings lack his later polish, and the brass tends to lean more towards Dixieland jazz than tight swing. Early gems include jitterbugs (Doug the Jitterbug), swing (After School Swing Session, At the Swing Cat's Ball), laid-back blues ('Fore Day Blues, Hard Lovin' Blues), and even Bing Crosby-style crooning on Away From You.

The subsequent discs include alternate versions for several tracks including Yip, Yip de Hootie with Bing Crosby and Petootie Pie with Ella Fitzgerald, and a tamer version of Open the Door, Richard. Disc 9 is a partial disc at best; it features seven tracks with Ella Fitzgerald, including a spirited version of Baby, It's Cold Outside that puts most other renditions to shame.

Bear Family has more than done Louis Jordan justice, with nine CDs and extensive liner notes. The remastering sounds as fresh and clear as if the songs had just been recorded. There are plenty of undiscovered gems buried among Jordan's earlier years on Decca, and enough solid hits to keep you listening for weeks.

Taj Mahal owns this box set. He recommended it to me but when I saw the price tag, I put it on my Amazon wishlist where it languished for years until I finally received it as a birthday gift from my wife! Now, as Louis Jordan himself says "I'll Die Happy!"

The sound quality is UNBELIEVABLE as are the performances. This is the comprehensive collection to purchase if you are at all interested in the beginnings of what would become rock and roll. Bear Family is heavenly.